1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a printer, a facsimile, a copying machine and a multi-function machine that includes a radio communication portion which over radio communication reads data recorded on a recording medium such as an IC card and the like.
2. Description of Related Art
Because image forming apparatuses are going multi-functional in recent years, setting on a liquid crystal display of an operation panel is becoming complicated. For easy user operation, there are some image forming apparatuses in which a user can make a registration of a personal display setting on an operation panel or the like so as to allow a jump to a target setting screen with, for example, one-touch operation. On the other hand, in companies or public offices, from the viewpoint of cost, installation space and the like, not one for one person, but for example, one image forming apparatus such a printer, a copy machine, a multi-functional machine and the like is installed for each section or on an office floor and is shared with a plurality of persons.
However, in a case where an image forming apparatus is shared with a plurality of persons, if the persons each register freely their own special display settings, the number of display settings increases, and causes a problem that it becomes difficult to understand which setting is whose setting and other problems, thereby the display on the operation panel or the like becomes complicated and can lower visibility of the operation panel. Further, generally, because the number of registerable settings is limited, some users cannot register their own display settings. To solve these problems, for example, there is an image forming apparatus that is disclosed in JP-A-1999-017862.
Specifically, JP-A-1999-017862 discloses an image forming apparatus (FAX apparatus) that includes an image read means, an image transmission means, an operation means that reads an image and performs various mode settings for image transmission, a control means that controls the image read means and the image transmission means according to a setting on the operation means, a user ID recognition means, a user ID transmission means that transmits a recognized user ID to a server that stores personalize information, a personalize information acquisition means that from the sever, receives personalize information corresponding to the transmitted user ID, and a personalize means that personalizes the operation means. According to this structure, various settings are collectively saved in the server for each user and the settings are personalized, thereby the operability for users is improved (claim 1, paragraph [0173] of JP-A-1999-017862).
In the invention disclosed in JP-A-1999-017862, indeed displays for each user are changed on the operation panel by pushing a personalize key on an operation screen and the operability is improved. However, in the invention disclosed in JP-A-1999-017862, the screen display is personalized, but a display order and a display method are not dramatically changed for each user (see paragraphs [0065] and [0130] in JP-A-1999-017862). In other words, in displaying a function that a user wants to use, there is a problem that it is necessary to pass through a plurality of layers from an upper layer to a lower layer one after another as usual.
As described above, in the conventional image forming apparatus, although displays are changed for each user to some extent, it is impossible to jump to and quickly display a function setting screen that is frequently used and a function setting screen that is present on a relatively lower layer. Especially, in a multi-function machine that has a plurality of functions, to set completely different kinds of functions, it is necessary to take the trouble to return to the highest layer and go to a desired function setting screen, which raises a problem that it is difficult to quickly perform a function setting.